The Miami Dolphins are new across the board, but their current superpower could be sticking to their guns on their game plan.
The Miami Dolphins organization made sweeping changes, which began in October 2025 when longtime general manager Chris Grier was fired. That was followed by the necessary though surprising exit of head coach Mike McDaniel.
With a new front office staff in place (which continues to experience changes) and a new coaching staff, the South Florida NFL team looks all new. That is also including 13 draftees that were brought in, pointing to the Dolphins' new superpower, which is sticking to their game plan.
One of those most surprising aspects of how general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley have operated has been to be as direct as possible. They not only have "talked the talk," but they have "walked the walk," as well.
Both Sullivan and Hafley have come out and stated exactly what they want out of their tenure leading the front office and coaching staff of this Dolphins team.
The simple fact of being direct is enough to get a lot of people on their side, whether its fans, media, or even the haters who may want nothing more than to see this team fail. Regardless, both leaders have done just that, thus far.
Sullivan started his leadership by stating that the Dolphins would "build through the draft," which made perfect sense, since he spent 20 years with the Green Bay Packers, a team that has seen sustained success due to their drafting capabilities.
That promise to build through the draft finally happened, as bloated contracts were cut away almost instantly. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, wide receiver Tyreek Hill, and linebacker Bradley Chubb were cut, while wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick were traded to get the team back into a healthy cap situation.
The result of these moves was having to pay record numbers of dead cap to Tagovailoa and just in general, but now the Dolphins are projected to have $148 million in 2027, and are in the top five of cap space projections.
Additionally, the Dolphins brought in 13 rookies, the second-highest number since 1997, when the team drafted 14 players, which included NFL Hall of Famer and legend, Jason Taylor.
That said, Sullivan promised again that the team would get "bigger, stronger, and more physical." That was clearly the case, as the Dolphins drafted 6-foot-6 and 350-pound lineman, Kadyn Proctor.
There was quite a bit of shock in taking Proctor, as Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and Miami Hurricanes edge Rueben Bain Jr. were both available before Miami traded down with the Dallas Cowboys to earn two additional fifth-round selections.
It did not matter. The players that Sullivan took proved his promise. From Proctor to Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and fellow Red Raider wide receiver Caleb Douglas, the Dolphins had a clear plan in mind to get bigger and more physical, and they stuck to it.
Even Hafley not only bought in but has echoed the same sentiment that Sullivan has been stating since he took over as general manager.
For the head coach, he has indicated that he will now spout some team motto without first ensuring what kinds of players he has in the building. His no-nonsense way of speaking has not only garnered the attention of players, but everyone watching the Dolphins.
Back in early April, Hafley indicated he will make the players work, and then determine who they will be in 2026 and beyond.
"I can tell you right now what I want the identity of our team to be. I'll tell you when training camp is done who we really are, or else it's just a bunch of coach talk and I'm full of it up here," Hafley said. "I'm not just going to throw out a bunch of phrases and lingo; that's just not me. I want to find out who this team is, and I want to match that with who we become so it's real and I'm not saying one thing and we're playing like another thing."
It is important for Hafley to say these things because excuses can become an ugly thing. And for previous Dolphins regimes, there always seemed to be issues in the locker room or otherwise that tarnished what the team was attempting to build.
The proverbial chips are stacked against the Dolphins, as everyone believes they could be one of the worst teams in the NFL due to their current roster and the unknown nature of how Hafley will coach this team.
Regardless, they can surprise the league by simply continuing to prove they believe in what they are building and sticking to the game plan. If they veer off course, they could just mimic what has led this organization to go over 25 years without a playoff win.
If Sullivan and Hafley can "walk the walk," they may turn the Dolphins into a sustained winner, something that has not happened since Dan Marino retired in 1999.